Through the Fires of War
by Chapel the Peacemaker
Summary: Thrust into Gaia with naught but wits and a voice in my head, I must bring peace to the world or die trying. First Fanfic, please read and review, all constructive commentary welcome. Rated for language and images of violence which will come later.
1. Chapter 1

Through the Fires of War:

_A Final Fantasy IX fanfic_

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX, nor any of the characters portrayed therein. All that I own is my own character that is being inserted into this story. I make no profit. Now please, sit back, relax, and enjoy what is sure to be a horribly clichéd fanfic.

_Author's Note:_ This is my first attempt at a major work of fiction, and also at fanfiction. I ask your patience as a reader. Any and all constructive criticism is appreciated, as is all praise and other opinion. So please, enjoy.

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_**CHAPTER I: **__Transition_

"Happy Birthday, baby!" cried my beloved Angel as she held a small box in front of my eyes. I quickly opened it to gaze upon the marvelous thing that she had bought me for my twentieth birthday: a bright silver band with four small garnets set in it at equal distance around the band.

"Do you like it?" she queried.

"Meg, I love it." I stated quite truthfully as I placed it on my right hand's middle finger, noticing that it was a perfect fit. However, before I could give my beloved the hug and kiss she had well earned, my attachments with reality started to weaken. As I was falling over the edge into the brink of unconsciousness, I heard a voice call out and proclaim: _You have been chosen. After many thousands of years, the time has come for the elements themselves to take up arms. You shall command Fire as though it runs through your very veins. Now go! And bring peace unto these many world__s! _

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When I came to, I had a slight headache but other than that, I felt fine.

"Megan…? Where are ya, luv?" I had yet to open my eyes, but something felt a little off.

_ I'm afraid that there is little point in that… She isn't here. _ Came a voice from deep within my mind.

"Wait… I've heard that voice before… You're the voice I heard as I blacked out! Who are you and why are you in my head?!"

_ Ah yes… I cry your pardon, young Dragonfire. I am Wyrmdyn, aggregate sentience of the Fire Crystal. As to why I am inside your head, as I stated before, you have been found fitting to command the element of Fire__ as my Avatar__ in an effort to bring peace into the many worlds. _

Just as he said this, I heard a great roar in the sky overhead and opened my eyes to take my first look around. Directly above me was what seemed to be a boat hull, suspended in midair by a series of propellers strewn about the outer edges of it. What really caught my eye was the intricate sculpture of a mermaid in marble sitting upon the bow.

"The Prima Vista…? Well, my next question was gonna be 'where am I?' but I think that got answered for me…"

_ Yes, well, this world is in dire need of peace, and your familiarity with this world would make it as good a place as any to start. _

"But Final Fantasy IX is just a game! How can I possibly be here?"

_ It isn't quite a game, nor is most any of your fantasy and science fiction media… The people who write the stories and characters for them are really something akin to prophets, with a few glaring lapses in their capacity. First, almost all of the visions they have are for world__s__ not your own. And secondly, they cannot see the changes that an Avatar would bring into the world. _

"Avatars…? You mean that there are others like you, and like me?"

_ Like me, yes.__ Seven more to be precise, but we'll get into more of that later.__ As to others like you… I'm not too sure. I doubt that the other Soulstones were found that quickly, but it's always possible, however unlikely that it may be. Now, before we set out on what is sure to be a grand quest, do you find your attire acceptable? _

At this, I looked down to find myself clothed in something completely different that I recalled being in beforehand. I was wearing heavy black jeans that fit loosely enough to cover all but the very tips of the boots underneath them. A pair of heavy leather belts hung off my hips, crossing in the front and back. Upon lifting up the edges of my pants, I discovered that I was wearing very sturdy combat boots with steel toes and heels. On my hands were half knuckle gloves that were essentially brass knuckles, as they had metal plates imbedded into each of the finger faces, and had one large plate across the back of my knuckles. I was wearing a light grey t-shirt with a dark blue button-up shirt over top of it. Looking down, I still had the silver pendant that Megan had given to me, though it was no longer the arrowhead that it had originally been. It was now a sword wreathed in flames. I also noticed that I seemed to be a lot slimmer than before, but I wrote that off as being my imagination for the moment.

"I think it's awesome… but it needs one very important thing." I stated after doing a full inventory of my appearance.

_ What's that? _

I unbuttoned the overshirt so that it hung open. "There, all done."

_ Good, good.__ Now that we have established appropriate attire, there are a few things I ought to explain to you about the changes I've made before we depart. First is your metabolism: it has been greatly accelerated to accommodate a fast adaptation to the strength and speed of the Avatar of Fire. Second are your weapons and skills: I will soon arm you with a weapon and a slew of skills that are befitting someone of your position, but it will take time. And rushing things, while it can be done, is very much recommended against, as its cost is __high in both pain and energy exerted. Lastly, so as to prevent impressions of your insanity as much as possible, I would like to point out that there is no need to speak aloud in order to palaver with me. Should you need help, or simply wish to discuss the events unfolding around you, simply form the words in your mind, and I shall do what I can. _

_-Like this?-_

_ Indeed.__ Well, now that all of these things have been explained, all that is left are our objectives. We have only two: to bring peace to this world by whatever means are within our capacity, and to seek out the remaining Soulstones. _

_-Are all of the __Soulstones set into rings? Or are the set into other things?-_

_ The Soulstones have been set into many manner of things over the ages, but I can detect when one is near. Well, with that, I think that I have covered all things of great import… Feel free t__o set foot to ground and depart anytime. Remember, if you need help, just think of the kind of help you need, and I shall do what I can. _

_-Alright. I'm off.-_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter II: **__First Meetings with Old Friends_

No sooner had I taken a single step out of the alley that I had been standing in, having my conversation with Wyrmdyn, I was immediately assaulted by a vaguely rat-like blur of red dashing by.

"Oww… Stupid kid… Watch where you're goin'!" I softly complained as I massaged my not-so-horribly mangled shin.

"Are you okay, mister," came a meek little voice of concern from my right.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the concern…" I trailed off as I noticed just who had asked of my welfare. Standing maybe four and a half feet tall with a floppy straw hat sitting on his head, there was little doubt as to who was standing next to me.

"Well, it's just that he ran into me too, it's kinda painful," stated the glowing amber eyes off to my right.

"Well, that one thing we've got in common. I'm new in town, how about you?"

"Me too. I'm in town to see the play."

"Well, that's two things in common right off the bat. What do ya say we look out for each other?"

"A-alrighty. I'm Vivi. Vivi Orunitia."

"I'm Josh. Nice to meet ya, Vivi. Got your ticket? If so, let's head on down to the ticket office and get you into the castle."

I leaned against the wall of the ticket booth, waiting for the proclamation of the fake ticket I knew to be in Vivi's possession.

_-Poor kid…-_

_Why for__? _

_-You'll see.-_

Then, from inside the ticket booth came the notification I was looking for: Vivi's wail of agony. The little guy dragged his feet on his way out of the ticket booth.

"My ticket was a fake!" exclaimed the understandably disappointed black mage.

"Man… that sucks. Let's see if there isn't another way that we can see the play. Oh, and if you ever see the guy who sold you that ticket again, point him out to me." I stated.

"Why…?" Vivi asked, confused.

"So I can kick his ass from here to next Thursday. Now c'mon, let's get to finding that backdoor into the play. I know there's bound to be one somewhere in town." I explained.

"O-okay…" he said, starting to cheer up a bit.

We mulled about the town square for a few minutes, looking around. Vivi decided to try his hand at jumping rope, and was doing fairly well, so I took a look down the alley off on the left. There, I spotted the little rat-looking kid that had run into me earlier.

"Hey! Little punk… ya really ought to apologize when you run into someone." I said loud enough to get his attention.

"Yeah, well you ought to watch where you're goin'!" was his swift and sarcastic response.

"Fair enough. I'll cut you some slack if you can get me and a friend of mine into the castle to see the play. Sound like a deal to you?"

"How did you…? Ah, nevermind. Fine, so long as you do all the grunt work. Deal?"

"Deal." I agreed.

I hefted the ladder that we were to use to get into the castle and placed it over my right shoulder. Just then, Vivi walked down the alley looking for me. "I've found a way to get us into the play." I stated.

"Yay!" was the only response I got.

We ran through the alley, following the Puck this way and that, until we came to a small chapel with a bell tower. There we went in, and Vivi went to climb up the ladder in the bell tower, but before he could even place a hand on the rungs, a white ball of fuzz fell on top of him. The ball of fuzz, identified as a moogle named Kupo, immediately began apologizing profusely. Vivi and I were entered into Kupo's moogle diary and asked to deliver a piece of mail to a moogle named Monty while Puck climbed up the ladder into the bell tower. At this point Puck was ranting and raving for us to get topside and get to the castle, so we climbed up the ladder and ended up on the roof.

Once on the roof Puck and I discovered a slight flaw in our plans… Vivi's fear of heights. Across the first little makeshift bridge, Vivi crawled on his hands and knees, not trusting his feet to stay steady. Remembering the second bridge to be none too steady, I came up with an idea.

"Hey, Vivi. I'm gonna cross this next one first, and to help you keep your balance, I'm gonna hold the edge of the ladder out to you like a handrail. Once I get across, I just want you to stay on your feet as you come across and keep both of your hands on the ladder, okay?"

"O-okay…"

Stepping as lightly and as quickly as I could, I crossed the footbridge to the next roof over. I then sat down and held out the ladder to Vivi so that he could hold on to it if need be. He grasped the ladder firmly and took a few steps with something resembling confidence before the bridge began its collapse. With a loud _CRACK_ the boards underneath Vivi's feet gave out at once, with the only thing keeping him from a rather forceful encounter with the ground below being his vice grip on the end of the ladder.

"Hang on Vivi; I'll have ya back on solid footing here in a second." As I said this, I made an attempt to hoist the ladder up onto the roof where I was standing, quickly finding that the combined weight of the ladder and Vivi to be far too much for my body to compensate for.

_-I could use a little help here!-_

_ What would you have me do? _

_-Can I get some of that strength that you were talking about earlier?-_

_ Ah, of course. It'll take a moment, though. _

_-Just make it quick.-_

Within a second I felt a relaxing warmth moving from the center of my body down into my arms and legs. I fell into a sort of trance and closed my eyes, feeling the soothing fire running through my body, tempering my bones and muscles. I opened my eyes, set my feet, and with one swift upward pull, I hoisted Vivi and the ladder up onto the roof.

"I thought it'd take a bit more effort than that, but whatever," I said, shrugging. "You okay?"

"Um, yeah. Thanks to you."

"It's not a problem. I said I'd look out for ya, remember? Now c'mon, the play's gonna start soon."

And with that, we set off across the rest of the rooftops, getting to the entrance over the castle wall with no further excitement. I put the ladder in place, and into the castle we climbed, just as the opening fireworks began. Puck and Vivi stood behind the last row of seated nobles, and I took to leaning against the wall behind them.

Remembering that most of this play was remarkably like Romeo and Juliet, I decided that I would take the opportunity to look through my pockets, as I had yet to take the time to do so. I figured I might as well start with the things least likely to still be there, so I reached into my left hip pocket, nearly passing out to find that both my cell phone and my mp3 player were still there, and apparently still working. Though I was hardly surprised to find my phone displaying the "NO SERVICE" notification, I was a little surprised at the fact that my mp3 player not only worked, but couldn't be turned off. I could control the volume, but not the fact that it was on, or what song it was playing. With a shrug, I put my wraparound headphones around my neck and turned the volume up so I could hear it from there. Moving on to the next pocket over, I dug into my right hip pocket to find my pen and my pocketknife still there, though my keys were gone. I dug down a bit further and found the load of coins I usually have in my pocket, though they had all been changed into gil coins instead. Though my lucky JFK fifty cent piece stayed in US currency, not too sure why, but I let the thought go and moved on to my right back pocket. In it was the only thing that is ever in that pocket: my wallet. In my wallet were still the numerous pictures of my girlfriend, and all the other various nick-knacks, but the money I had there was also changed into gil. I counted up all of my newly discovered currency to find I had in my possession 2,653 gil.

With all of my possessions put back into my pockets, I looked up to see what was going on in the play. My mp3 player switched tracks to Vamo' Alla Flamenco by the Black Mages as I looked up and saw the beginning of the staged sword fight occur on stage. As Zidane and Blank slashed, dodged, parried, and countered with all of the makings of a real fight, I fell mesmerized by the intricate dance I knew to be false, but could not help but marvel at just how well they made the fight look authentic. After they exited the stage, I decided I'd have a conversation with Wyrmdyn to pass the time until the action picked up again.

_-Hey, Wyrmdyn… Just what did you do back there? When I needed the strength to pull Vivi back up?-_

_ Ah, yes… that. All I really did was speed up the rate at which __the changes to your musculature and skeletal system were taking place. _

_-__Just what sort of changes were those? I seem to be the same size, but I feel stronger, faster, and maybe even a little lighter…-_

_ Your muscles were made stronger and more dense, and your bones were strengthened against impact and lightened. __The process isn't quite finished yet, either, so it'll be a while before you're in peak condition. I can't rush through the entire process because it takes too much energy and the risk of overdoing some of the delicate work gets higher and higher. The rest of the work will have to be slowed down, too, since I'll go back and check to make sure no errors were made when I did that. _

_-Alrighty. Hey, I've been wondering… what weapon am I gonna get when it finally manifests?-_

_ The first weapon you will get, and the one that you will have to use for all of this leg of our quest, will be a sword that most would wield with two hands. Overall it is about five feet long, and though it is indeed heavy, it is perfectly balanced. It looks a lot like a katana in appearance, but the blade is straight and a lot __longer. I have learned many sword styles that I will pass on to you once the blade itself manifests. There are two other weapons that I can learn how to manifest over time, and those are your choice. _

_-Sounds pretty sweet…-_

Just then I heard the clatter of armor, and even before they uttered a word, I knew they were the Knights of Pluto, Haagen and Weimar, come to harass us since the princess was currently missing. Actually, looking around, I noticed that she was on stage, but they didn't know that.

"Stop! Trespassers!" cried Haagen.

"Err… I can't right now! Just remembered I have something very important to do!" I yelled as I took off toward the stage, with Vivi close behind me. When we got to the stage, Vivi and I hopped over the "dead" princess and turned to make our stand.

"LEAVE US ALONE!" Vivi yelled as he launched a Fire spell. Unfortunately, his aim was a bit off, and he got Garnet's cloak instead.

"OUCH! Oh jeez, that's hot!" was Garnet's inevitable response, as she pranced about trying to remove her cloak and pat out the flames.

"Zidane! It's time!" the huge man I assumed to be Baku bellowed. With that, he and Marcus dashed off to begin the take-off preparations.

"Princess Garnet! We're gettin' outta here!"

"Steiner, stop following me!"

Captain Steiner, leader of the Knights of Pluto, then proceeded to stammer, sputter and look extremely bewildered for about 30 seconds before he figured out exactly what to do with that order. "My apologies, Your Highness, but I cannot obey that order. Seize them!"

"Me and a child mage versus three knights? That's hardly fair…" Zidane grumbled under his breath.

"Don't worry. The odds ain't quite so bad as they seem. I can fight too."

"If you say so… I'll take the guy on the right; you take the one on the left. Go!" With that, I dashed off towards the Knight to Steiner's left. Lacking a proper weapon, I decided that hand to hand would be the way to go, considering my gloves and boots. I ran full tilt at the Knight, covering the 20 feet separating us in about four strides. The Knight raised his sword, preparing to deal with a blow to the only really exposed part of him: his face. I feigned a strike to the face before dropping low and sweeping his feet from under him. As he was teetering between falling on his ass and regaining his balance, I reached up, grabbed his arm, and used his lack of balance to pull him forward and straight onto his face.

"My fury ends here…" I heard the Knight mumble as he got up and performed a tactical retreat.

At this point, I looked up and saw Steiner making a berserker's charge straight for Vivi, who had planted himself between the Princess and the rest of the violence. Vivi, deep in concentration in preparation to unleash a spell, didn't see him and wouldn't until it was too late. I shot upright and bolted straight toward Vivi, hoping to place myself between him and his oncoming doom. I quickly realized that I wasn't going to make it, and neither was Zidane.

_ You require extra reach, do you not? I can give it to you, but I can assu__re you, it will prove__ to be the most painful experience you'__ll__ ever have."_

_-I don't care! Do it!-_

_ As you wish… _

With that short exchange, began the painful process of forcing an ability to manifest. Almost instantly I began to feel my right arm heat up, to the point that it felt as though my muscles were ablaze, and my blood was burning through my skin. Screaming in agony, I instinctively grasped in the air near my hand and found purchase upon a sword handle; I thrust forward with all my might, and the pillar of flame that was my half-manifested weapon connected with Steiner's shoulder, shoving him off course and off balance. At this moment, Vivi opened his eyes and unleashed his works in a Fire spell that hurled Steiner across the stage, and left him grasping his shoulder.

"Bah… it's only a flesh wound."

Looking down at my arm, totally expecting to see naught but charred bone, I found that while my arm was still totally intact, I could see the veins on my arm and in them a vague glow that was rapidly fading from view. The pain slowly faded from my arm, though moving it caused the agony to flare up again.

By now the Prima Vista was slowly starting to lurch upward and away from Alexandria Castle. Queen Brahne, wanting absolutely nothing to do with such a thing, ordered all cannons to fire at will. This sent innumerable cannonballs and quite a few spear and chain assemblies flying in our direction. All of these failing to hinder our escape more than slightly, the Queen ordered the big gun -the Bomb Cannon- to be hauled up and fired. Immediately after the cannon was fired and the Bomb freed from its iron prison, Steiner got his second wind, and once again began demanding the Princess' return to the castle.

"Princess, you must return to the castle with me! Your mother, the queen, will be most displeased with me should you run off with these brigands!"

"Brigands?! Who're you calling brigands? I ought ta kick your—"

At that point the Bomb took up its staged position immediately behind Steiner, and we all kinda started back at the sight of it. "Hah! You thought again about just who you were throwing empty threats at, did you? You dare to try to intimidate me? I am Captain Adlbert Steiner of the Knights of Pluto!"

"Well, Captain… You might wanna turn around and take a good look behind ya." I said, pointing at the Bomb, which had begun its steady growth to detonation size.

"First you try to intimidate me, and then you resort to petty trickery? How stupid do you think I am?"

"Uh… seriously Rusty. Look behind you." Zidane pointed out.

"It's a Bomb!" added Vivi.

"I'll not fall for such an old trick!" Steiner bellowed as he began a charge straight for Zidane, who easily avoided such a straightforward attack.

"Steiner! Please, look behind you!" Garnet pleaded. Steiner looked a trifle confused at this, but kept up his stubborn assault nonetheless.

"I shall not be defeated!" exclaimed the now infuriated Steiner. The Bomb was now getting very close to detonating, and killing Steiner with it, so as Steiner began one last charge at the group I came up with something that would make him turn around to face it. Testing my arm to make sure that I could bear it move it, I dashed forward to intercept hm. Once I was in reach, he began his usual downward swing; I dodged to the left, putting me on the inside of his sword arm. To counter this, he began a one armed slash around to his right, trying to catch me on the return swing; I ducked underneath his swing and put his sword arm into a lock hold, then I slipped my left arm up around his neck, putting him into the sleeper hold. Using the leverage that this generated, I stepped around and forced him to pivot so that he could see the Bomb.

"That's some great trickery, ain't it?" I queried of the speechless Knight Captain. "EVERYONE DOWN!" I yelled as I threw both myself and Steiner to the deck. The Bomb exploded, and I guess a piece of shrapnel must've hit me, because I blacked out.


End file.
